Bauchi State appears reeling from a renewed push by the Yuguda administration to protect itself against what may become a hairy situation come 2015. This is as 247ureports.com gathered through information made available from sources within the Yuguda administration indicating that the Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Isa Yuguda may have launched broad and possibly illegal rearrangements against his exit from the seat of power in Bauchi State. The Governor, according to a competent source, is highly concerned and unsure of the political demeanor of the next occupant of the governor’s seat. For this reason, the governor is frightened of a possible probe into the management of the state finances – in the manner the Yuguda administration had done to the Mu’Azu administration.
On August 26, 2014, Governor Isa Yuguda swore in Justice Rabi Talatu Umar as the first female Chief Judge of Bauchi State. The appointment was considered controversial. It was termed by knowledgeable observers of the Bauchi political theater, as part of Governor Yuguda’s plan to evade what may certainly result in a probe against him – from the incoming administration come 2015.
The announcement of the new Chief Judge of Bauchi State, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar met an immediate resistance from the larger segment of the informed populace. The resisters point to the non-indigene status of the new Chief Judge. They add that Justice Rabi Talatu Umar originates from Kogi State – and thus not an indigene of Bauchi State.
Cursory investigation by 247ureports.com confirms the new Chief Judge to be an indigene of Kogi State. According to information gathered, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar was once married to an indigene of Katagum in Bauchi State – a fellow by the name, Alhaji Mustapha Katagum. While she was married to the Alhaji Katagum, she went by the official name, Rabi Katagum – and claimed an indigene of the town.
After securing employment as a Judge in Bauchi State during the Mu’Azu administration, she quickly divorced her husband. As she divorced her husband, she also changed her name back to her father’s name – but retained her employment. The position is constitutionally reserved for ‘natural’ indigenes of the State.
Other issues has raised the eyebrows of petitioners in Bauchi, and it goes beyond Justice Rabi Talatu Umar non-indigene status. Justice Rabi Talatu Umar was not issued an ‘employment letter’ when she was hired by the former governor. Her employment into the judiciary was never rectified by the employing Governor. But the Yuguda administration, in its attempt to hoist a junior judge that would remain loyal to the Yuguda administration, quickly drafted an ‘employment letter’ to Justice Rabi Talatu Umar.
247ureports.com investigations gathered that Justice Rabi Talatu Umar was previously married to a man from Gombe before divorcing him to remarry again. During her marriage to the Gombe man, she claimed indigene of Gombe – only to divorce the Gombe man – to marry the Bauchi State man – when the opportunity of employment presented itself. After having seized the opportunity, she divorced her husband retaining her indigene status but dropping her husband’s name.
Queried on why the Yuguda administration appointed a junior Judge to the top most Judicial position in Bauchi State, our source pointed to the politics of 2015. The source recalled the actions taken by the Yuguda administration against the outgoing Mu’azu administration in 2007. The Yuguda administration had set up a probe panel to investigate the Mu’Azu administration. The panel completed its investigation with an indictment of Mu’Azu – charging that he refund the sum of N20billion [N20,420,473,469.04]. The panel [Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Management of Some Ministries, Parastatals, and Extra-Ministerial Departments of the Public Service of Bauchi State from May 1999 To May 2007] was chaired by Hon. Justice Bitrus G. Sanga. The Government White Paper was published November 2009.
But the indictment on Mu’Azu was struck out by a Judge who was considered a close friend to the former governor. On September 28, 2012, Hon. Justice Mohammed A. Sambo set aside the report by the commission. The ruling which appeared stage managed was contained in Suit No. BA/209/2010 between Savannah Petroleum and Engineering Company Limited [SAPECO] Limited & the Attorney General Bauchi State and 8 others. The 17page Government White paper was set aside through the simple, “The report of the commission is hereby set aside by this court having acted in breach of rules of fair hearing”.
And thus Mu’azu was set off the hook.
According to insiders from the government house, Governor Isa Yuguda wants to replicate the favorable ruling accorded Mu’Azu – through his appointment of Justice Rabi Talatu Umar. Yuguda is unsure the next governor would treat him favorably. For this reason, a non-indigene occupies the top seat at the Bauchi Judiciary.
Our source indicates the Bauchi Governor to be fully aware of the numerous petitions against his administration – of which the several national anti-graft bodies have their possession – and had conducted some investigatory work to confirm some of the allegations. “Even politicians like Bala Mohammad has Yuguda’s dossier”, said the source who continued that if the anti-graft entities fail to act, the next governor of Bauchi is not fail to act. “Yuguda has left the treasury of Bauchi empty and in the negative. He will not be forgiven”.
The list of corrupt practices and financial crimes alleged to have been committed by Yuguda is lengthy – stretching from his administration’s cash ‘over the counter’ withdrawals of over N1billion in a day from Diamond bank by his cabinet members, to his purchase of luxurious homes in Abuja for his top cabinet members valued overN15billion, to his inability to pay salaries to the state employees [Bauchi workers are owed two months salaries], to his use of ‘fronts’ to collect lucrative contract awards, to his illegal refinance of a project already paid for by the federal government [Airport and Hospital project] among others. [Stay tuned for the complete report on Yuguda’s mismanagement of Bauchi treasury].
It is against the foreground that the Governor appears concerned and unsettled.
Adding gravitas to an already soil situation is the horrid financial situation Bauchi State finds herself presently. 247ureports.com gathered the State under the leadership of the present Governor owes a total debt of N28billion – consisting of N17billion internal debt and N11billion foreign debt. Bauchi pension scheme is owed N10billion. With a worrying debt profile of N38billion, the Yuguda administration were unapologetic in its application for another disguised loan of N15billion. The Nigerian Stock Exchange is reported to have given the Yuguda team the go ahead for the addition N15billion loan. But resistance against the loan has not been easy following the revelation that the same N15billion was being obtained to be used for private matters and not for public use. Information unearthed by 247ureports.com revealed that the N15billion was sought after to be used for ‘going away’ gifts for the kitchen cabinets of the Yuguda administration – starting from the new Secretary to the State Government [SSG] to the Principal Secretary to select special advisers and commissioners. One of the homes purchased in Wuse for the Principal Secretary is reported to have purchased for N850million.
Following the clearance to obtain the disguised loan – and the inability for the Bauchi government to maintain its wage bill, a group of concerned citizens of Bauchi sued for injunction against obtaining the N15billion until the state government clarified the intended uses of the money. The suit was filed on August 27, 2014, suit number BA/204m/14. The suit was assigned to High Court 10 for hearing under Justice A. H. Suleiman – who is serving presently as the vacation judge to handle cases during judicial recess.
However, in a manner depicting Judicial anomaly, Justice Suleiman refused to assign a date for the hearing of the suit. When queried on the reason for not appending a date, the Judge threatened to ‘deal with the questioner’. Further inquiry revealed that the young Judge may have been compromised by the acting Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar . A source indicates the Chief Judge was used as an intermediary from the Governor to reach Justice Suleiman. “Money exchanged hands“.
